Solid Hardwood, Engineered and Laminate Flooring - which engineered wood flooring to use in a dry basement?

I've been to Lowes and HD and looked at the engineered 3/8" wood flooring and I realize that I need to glue them down in the direction of the longest wall. I've looked mostly at Bruce. The basement office is 10 by 14.

My question is which engineered flooring products should I stay away from and what width of board should I use in this small office.

Thanks, Jethro Buckeye Go Bucks!

Bruce makes a good floor along with many others (mohawk, mannington). The size of the plank is purely a personal choice. The narrower the plank the longer time it takes to install. Also, Gluing down a floor on concrete is no picnic! You don't get the advantage of using a brad gun to help on your start rows.

Also, keep in mind that once you glue that sucker down, its down for good (ok, maybe not forever, but difficult to tear out).

You might consider going to a full service flooring store in your area to check out other options. I have found HD and Lowes are not very knowledgable.

Thanks for the information. I was wondering if I could put down an engineered floor system on the slab as a floating floor. I've got a floating floor in my kitchen manufactured by a company named Boen. The white oak veneer is almost 1/8" on top of 3/8" spruce laid on top of 1/8" or so of foam.

Would this be possibile on a very dry slab? Thanks, JB

Yes, most floating floors are fine for concrete. Double check your manufacture's recomendation on the floor. Don't forget your moisture barier while installing your floating floor.

I'm thinking it would be nice to have a "bit of give " in the floating floor on a cement slab. A glue down floor, I think, would be hard and cold. From the previous responses, it sounds like the glue down process can be very sticky in terms of leaving little room for error. Does the glue set up quickly?

JB

You don't want any "give" of measurable amout! Not with a floating floor, or the bond of the T&G will be compromised.

There is only one line of Bruce flooring that can be installed as a floating installation, according to my Bruce spec sheet from NFT, and that is the only way it says you can install that line of flooring.

Bruce is a very budget floor, and you get what you pay for applies here in a big way. Although I have got luck on a few, but the majority of them have been installation nightmares. The only Bruce I recommend to anyone, is their Studio B, line.

Thanks CDW for the info.

Bruce makes a 3/8" floating floor that comes in 7" wide planks that is T&G. It appears as strip flooring . HD says it can float on foam on the basement slab. I also was looking at an underlayment system called dri-core. Could I use standard 3/4" strip flooring on top of this at ground level? My wife is not to thrilled with the appearance of the photographed laminate floors. I don't know where to go. Thanks, JB

According to my specs, Bruce's Coastal Woodlands, is the only floating floor Bruce makes.


Watchout what HD tells you!!! They have led many down the road to bankruptcy, with fail floors. Always ask the manufacturer and if it is an important part, have them fax you the documented information requested. All manufacturers are very good at that.


DrCore is a nice product, and yes, you can install ¾" strip flooring on grade, over it. But once again, contact them directly and ask for their installation specs and conditions.

HD is not a valuable source for information in flooring. The same guy that tells you the information about flooring is the same guy that will sell you a sheet of drywall.